Joe Ely- Driven to Drive
Label: Rack ‘Em
Producer: Joe Ely
His name may not be muttered today with as much frequent reverence and acclaim as Texas compadres like Guy Clark or Townes Van Zandt, but make no mistake that the legacy of Joe Ely deserves its own lofty placement in the canon of country and roots music, not to mention that of rock & roll. These men were essentially the Jason Isbells, Sturgill Simpsons and Tyler Childers of the 1970s, and if the formal Americana genre had existed back then, they’d be receiving the same kind of accolades this next generation receives today. At age 77, Ely remains a vital musical force, and on this, his seventeenth album, he sounds far more spry and youthfully vibrant than should be expected by any artist of his age. The crispy punch of his Red Dirt vocals found on Driven to Drive reside seamlessly next to the incredible run of records he issued during his prime in the late 70s and early 80s. This impressive feat is further emphasized by the mostly acoustic trappings of the record, with the majority of the performances supported by basic arrangements of gut-string guitar and accordion, a long-time staple in Ely’s sonic template. This results in sturdy and organic country numbers like the title track, “San Antonio Brawl” and “Drivin’ Man”, jaunty and on-brand flirtations with Tex-Mex on cuts like the wry industry commentary “Nashville Is A Catfish”, and burning blues tracks like the Bruce Springsteen feature, “Odds of the Blues”. A sweeping fiddle section on “Slave to the Western Wind” elevates Ely’s classic troubadour storytelling to the same compelling and vividly cinematic heights of catalog landmarks like “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me”, “Honky Tonk Masquerade”, “Boxcars”, and “Suckin’ A Big Bottle of Gin”. And when Ely does up the electric ante and revisits his equally fertile rock & roll roots on moments like the boogie-driven “Didn’t We Robbie”, his ageless exuberance is even more enthralling; he delivers these performances with the same vigorous abandon as he did on cult favorites like “Musta Notta Gotta Lotta” and “Cool Rockin’ Loretta”. As ever before, Joe Ely remains a curator of the classic American music spirit, across the country, folk and rock spectrums. A true maverick and a treasured storyteller, then and now, we should be ever grateful that he continues to gift us with his musical talent, which remains as zestful today as it did five decades ago.
Track Listing:
- “Drivin’ Man” (Joe Ely)
- “Odds of the Blues” featuring Bruce Springsteen (Ely)
- “For Your Love” (Ely)
- “Watchin’ Them Semis Roll” (Butch Hancock)
- “Didn’t We Robbie” (Ely)
- “Nashville Is A Catfish” (Ely)
- “Ride Motorcycle” (Ely)
- “San Antonio Brawl” (Ely)
- “Slave to the Western Wind” (Ely)
- “Gulf Coast Blues” (Ely)
- “Driven to Drive” (Ely)
- “Jackhammer Rock” (Ely)
Enjoying our content? Follow us on Facebook and subscribe by clicking the links below!
The 706 
Leave a comment